Moscow silent whether Putin will attend Ukraine peace talks in Turkiye
Uncertainty swirled around what could be the first direct peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv in years after the Kremlin on Wednesday held off disclosing who would represent Russia, and Ukraine demanded clarity before deciding on its own actions.
US President Trump, who has said he might turn up himself if the circumstances are right, said he did not know if Russian President Vladimir Putin would turn up to Thursday’s planned talks in Istanbul, something that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has challenged the Kremlin leader to do.
Trump wants a 30-day ceasefire in the war, which Zelenskyy backs. Putin has said he first wants to start talks at which the details of such a ceasefire could be discussed.
Putin on Sunday proposed direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday “without any preconditions,” setting up what would be the first such talks between the sides in three years. But Putin did not say who would be attending.
France mulls deploying N-armed warplanes in Europe
The Kremlin criticised comments by French President Emmanuel Macron that Paris is open to deploying nuclear-armed warplanes in other European countries, saying that nuclear arms proliferation would not enhance the continent’s security.
“The Americans have the bombs on planes in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Turkiye," Macron said. “I will define the framework in a very specific way in the weeks and months to come.”
